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   After Conwell-Egan coach Rich Papirio earned his 300th career win, I received
an e-mail from Chris Sharkoski, who'd been the winning pitcher in Rich's 200th
win. I asked Chris to write a little about that game and his life since then because
I figured kids would be interested to know that they can realize their dreams of
staying around sports, even if it's not as an active participant. Here is his
contribution. Thanks very much, Chris!

   Here we are eight years later and I can recall the day as if it had just
come to an end. Reading that Coach Rich Papirio of Conwell-Egan Catholic
captured his 300th career win just helped to bring it back into focus
today. I had been playing organized baseball since I was five-years-old
and have seen my fair share of games. The triple header that we played one
day (from 11 a.m. till 1 a.m.) in a summer league; the 14-inning classic
in the Babe Ruth State Tournament; or one of the most crushing defeats I
have ever had to deal with, a 9-8 loss in college as a member of Penn
State Berks, when we fell to Penn State Delaware County in the first round
of the Commonwealth Tournament. We were the number one seed ... It's
probably better not to rehash that one.
  Anyway, there is still one game that will be forever etched into my
memory.
  The year was 1994, my senior year at Conwell-Egan, the first year of the
much anticipated merger of sex-segregated schools, Bishop Egan and Bishop
Conwell. The morning started off cloudy and cool. But it turned into one
of those picture-perfect spring days. Brilliant sunshine, no clouds and
the perfect temparature. We were playing Truman in one of those early
season, non-league Saturday games. I had drawn the start on the mound.
Just to set the record straight, I did not throw the ball hard. My
fastball topped out in the low 70's. I had a curve, but that was just a
change of pace pitch. My bread-and-butter was the knuckle ball. I threw it
alot.
  Things stared out well. I retired the first three hitters I faced and then
we pushed a run across in the bottom of the first. I got into a little bit
of trouble in the second as Truman scored twice, but the turning point of
the game, as far as my mindset, came at the end of this inning. Coach
Papirio, who had been calling the pitches through catcher Dave O'Brien,
had me throw four straight knuckle balls to the four hitter. I ended up
walking him with two outs, but got the next guy to ground out to end the
inning. As I came trotting off the field, I asked Coach why he had called
for so many knuckle balls in a row. He started by explaining to me his
reasoning and then all of a sudden just snapped. Telling me "how dare I
question him and his pitch selection," stuff like that. Well, that set me
off. But I didn't go nuts. I just threw my glove against the dugout wall
and sat down and fumed inside. When I went back out to the mound in the
top of the third, I pitched off pure emotion. I was pissed. But I was not
out there going nuts. It was a more controlled anger. The rest of the game
became just a blur. I think I only gave up one hit over those last five
innings, fininshing with a line of 7IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned, 3BBs and
3Ks, as we went on to win 6-2.
  After graduating from Conwell-Egan, I went on to play at the Penn State
Berks Campus, which is a two-year branch campus of Penn State University
right outside of Reading. After your two years there, then it is off to
the promised land, or better know as Penn State Main Campus.
  Our competition consisted of the other Penn State Commonwealth campuses,
as well as area community colleges and some Division III schools. The one
major change was that our main baseball season came in the fall. It was
about a 25-game season that culminated in two playoffs for both the Penn
State campus division and the community college league. We did play a
spring season as well, which included a trip to Florida, but it was not as
competitive. However, I must say that the quality of ball that I saw at
this level was the best that I had ever experienced. I started as a
freshman on a sophomore-laden team, seeing time in rightfield and on the
mound. We were not very good. We had some of the best pitching in both
leagues, but not much offense, thus we dropped a lot of low scoring games.
  Two of the best all-around baseball games that I have ever participated in
came in this year when we split a doubleheader with Bucks County Community
College. We won the first game 3-1 and dropped the second, 1-0. These
games had it all, stellar defensive plays, great pitching, great
situational hitting. It was truly a joy. But as I said, we did not win
alot, so the playoffs were not to be.
  My sophomore year saw the return of only three players from the previous
year as most of the others made their way up to Main Campus. It was this
season that I formed some of closest bonds and friendships that I have
ever had in teammates. We were a team. We went eveywhere together.
Classes, meals, sports, parties, all together, as a team. There was not
one person on that team that wouldn't step up for the other when it was
needed.
  Oh yeah ... and we were good. Damn good!
  After spending time at Accuweather headquarters in State College, the
Trenton Times newspaper and an internship with the Philadelphia Eagles
media relations department, I have finally settled down as a full-time
employee with the Eagles, mainly in administration. But my main goal is to
move into the community relations department. To help acquire that goal, I
am trying to do as much as possible within the organization. Helping with
media and community relations, accounting, human resources, as well as
writing a weekly column for the website ("Shark Bytes").